Following his appointment in Ankara, Uzbekistan’s new Ambassador, Ilham Haydarov, granted his first interview to Anadolu Agency (AA). “On the eve of Uzbekistan’s 34th Independence Day, which is our most cherished national holiday, it is a great honor for me to give an interview to Türkiye’s most established media outlet, Anadolu Agency, and I am grateful for this opportunity,” Haydarov stated. He emphasized Türkiye’s unique role in the global recognition of Uzbekistan’s independence and noted that Türkiye was among the first countries to recognize Uzbekistan’s sovereignty.
Haydarov highlighted that his relationship with Türkiye is not new. “In my previous roles, I worked closely with my Turkish colleagues. Particularly during my tenure as an executive in the Textile Institution, we engaged numerous Turkish stakeholders and experts to develop our country’s textile sector. Additionally, I maintained close contact with many Turkish investors and manufacturers in this field,” he said.
Starting his tenure during a period of high-level visits between the two countries, Haydarov emphasized his focus on establishing direct contacts with ministers and institutional heads in Türkiye, especially with organizations involved in bilateral projects. He also noted efforts to strengthen cooperation in education between Uzbekistan and Türkiye.
“I pledged during my work in Türkiye to visit all 81 provinces, to explore the economic potential, history, and cultural characteristics of each province, and to take all steps to establish mutually beneficial commercial relations with regions in Uzbekistan,” Haydarov said, adding that he has already begun these provincial visits. He also announced plans to organize a special event for Uzbekistan during international gastronomy festivals in Konya and Gaziantep in September, including an “Uzbek Pilaf Competition” with chefs brought from Samarkand.
Highlighting his engagement with Turkish think-tank leaders, Haydarov stated, “Collaboration between Uzbek and Turkish think tanks will continue to be one of the primary areas of focus in the future.”
“I Will Work Intensively to Achieve the $5 Billion Trade Volume Target”
Haydarov noted the increasing momentum of bilateral trade in recent years: “Today, our trade volume exceeds $3 billion. However, if asked whether this satisfies us, we must answer ‘no,’ as it does not fully reflect the potential of our two countries. We will mobilize all our efforts to achieve the $5 billion target set by our Presidents. I will dedicate intensive efforts throughout my tenure to reach this goal. Commercial and economic relations with Türkiye are of great importance for Uzbekistan. Last year, 7% of foreign direct investments were made by our Turkish partners. The number of Turkish-capital companies continues to increase monthly—from around 1,800 at the beginning of the year to 2,006 currently. Through our efforts, promotions, and incentives, we aim to increase this number further.”
Tourism Target of 200,000 by Year-End
Discussing tourism relations, Haydarov stated, “The abolition of visas for Uzbekistan since 2018 is yielding positive results. Currently, there are more than 90 weekly flights between our cities. The number of tourists visiting our country increased from 106,000 in 2023 to over 150,000 in 2024. We plan to reach our target of 200,000 by the end of the year.”
Haydarov emphasized the importance of the Uzbekistan-Türkiye High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in defining the main objectives and directions of bilateral relations in all fields. He noted that the last meeting was held in Ankara on June 6, 2024, and the next is planned in Uzbekistan. He highlighted that every visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Uzbekistan is notably different: “We highly appreciate each of his visits as the leader of a gracious and fraternal nation that shares a millennium-long common history, language, and religion and was among the first to recognize our independence. In the coming period, the Uzbekistan-Türkiye Strategic Planning Group, comprising our foreign ministers, as well as other comprehensive format meetings, are planned to be held in Ankara. I should particularly emphasize that only with Türkiye do we have dialogue at this level and format, which clearly demonstrates the depth of our relations. I am confident that we will continue to hold meetings at the highest level in this format in the near future.”
Finally, Haydarov extended an invitation to Turkish citizens to visit Uzbekistan.
Source: Anadolu Agency
